''A Step Away'' is an Official Olympic Film, a documentary filmed during the VIIIth Pan American Games held in San Juan,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. It was produced and directed by Roberto Ponce and co-directed by

Marcos Zurinaga Marcos Zurinaga (September 6, 1952 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. Biography His late mother was UPR professor Rosa Zurinaga. He studied at the UPR Elementary School, University High ...

. The English language narrator was

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

; Carlos Montalban narrated the Spanish version. The film was remastered in 2010.

Synopsis

Documentary focus on the performance of various elite athletes during the Pan American Games held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Athletes showcased in the documentary include US team swimmer of Puerto Rican origin

Jesse Vassallo Jesús David "Jesse" Vassallo Anadón (born August 9, 1961) is a former competition swimmer and world record-holder who participated in the 1984 Summer Olympics for the United States. In 1997, he became the first Puerto Rican to be inducted int ...

; legendary

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete

Alberto Juantorena Alberto Juantorena (born 3 December 1950) is a Cuban former runner. He is the only athlete to win both the 400 and 800 m Olympic titles, which he achieved in 1976. He was ranked as world's best runner in the 400 m in 1974 and 1976–1978, a ...

; Mexican diver Carlos Girón; American diver,

Greg Louganis Gregory Efthimios Louganis (; born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver, LGBT activist, and author who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second diver in Ol ...

; and the

Puerto Rico national basketball team The Puerto Rico national basketball team ( es, Selección de Baloncesto de Puerto Rico) represents Puerto Rico in men's international basketball competitions, it is governed by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation ( es, link=no, Federación d ...

, among others. Puerto Rican Basketball player Roberto Valderas sang the team's rap anthem in the film. At the end of the movie, these athletes expressed their hopes of being "a step away" from the 1980

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

; however, these hopes were shattered by the political crisis and the eventual USA-led boycott to the

held in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

in 1980.

External links

* 1980 films Puerto Rican documentary films Documentary films about the Olympics 1979 Pan American Games Canadian documentary films American sports documentary films 1980 documentary films Films about the 1980 Summer Olympics Spanish-language Canadian films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films 1980s Canadian films {{sport-documentary-film-stub es:Juegos Panamericanos de 1979#A Step Away